The number of bars, restaurants and other licenced premises opening in Newcastle have outpaced those opening their doors in London, new research has revealed.

Newcastle was home to 397 licensed premises in 2017 after the number of bars and restaurants grew by 15.7% over the last five years, according to data analysed by consultancy firm CGA on behalf of the Northern Restaurant & Bar trade show.

The analysis also shows that Newcastle has more licenced premises than a number of larger cities, including Leeds (which has 341), Cardiff (220) and Bradford (107).

Jamie Campbell, retail business unit director at CGA, said: “Of course London is a much bigger restaurant and bar scene in absolute terms, but percentages don’t lie, the change in the cities in the North is more pronounced and has a proportionally greater impact on diners, whether residents or tourists.

“Moreover we are working on additional data which shows that growth in the region is indeed being driven by independents, with the featured Northern cities showing an increase in independent outlets at over twice the national rate.”

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The wider Tyne Tees area was one of the few regions in the country not to see its bar and restaurant numbers fall over the last five years, with the number remaining flat.

All other regions of the UK saw more bars and restaurants close than open, though the “M62 corridor” - which spans Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds - was seen as a particular hotspot for restaurant and bar openings.

Liverpool saw the biggest rise in the number of bars over the last five years, with its number of sites growing by 25.2% to 408. Manchester grew by 24.9% to 622, while Leeds increased by 20.5% to 341.

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Thom Hetherington, CEO of Northern Restaurant &amp; Bar, said: “We’re delighted but not surprised by the data, we have seen the changes first hand - new restaurants and bars are opening almost every day. Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds are building top class food and drink scenes, and that’s great news for diners.

“Despite this being a challenging period for hospitality businesses, the growth is being largely driven by ambitious regional independents, and we’re proud that NRB can help to inspire and inform them.”